1) Supergirl moves to The CW
In the 2015-16 TV season, CBS, which typically relies on older-skewing cop/crime procedurals to carry their drama department, brough Warner Brothers' Supergirl to Mondays nights. The addition of Supergirl led to the network airing no comedies on the night for the first time in decades. After premiering very high, getting over a 3.0 A18-49 L+SD rating for its premiere, it took a Marvel's Agents of SHIELD-like drop throughout the rest of the season. While its ratings were still on par with much of CBS, it clearly underperformed based on how much a 30-second ad was estimated to cost. Since CBS and Warner Brothers co-operate The CW, which is more known for their superhero shows, Supergirl made a transition over. While ratings are down, it is still one of The CW's top 3 shows as was estimated by the executives before the season started.
2) Monday night comedy makes a comeback
After going with no comedies last season, barring for a late spring run of a few episodes of The Odd Couple, CBS went right back in with a two-hour comedy block this fall. As always, leading it off was The Big Bang Theory, followed by Kevin Can Wait, a new multi-cam comedy from Kevin James. Since then, Kevin Can Wait has shifted over to 8pm and is pulling solid numbers, making it one of this season's biggest, if not the biggest, comedy success. Lead-out Man with a Plan is dropping from Kevin, in average territory, as is 2 Broke Girls at 9pm, which is taking its typical above-average drop. At 9:30 is The Odd Couple, which after underperforming did not receive a backorder. CBS is still trying to figure out Monday comedy, as 2 Broke Girls will shift to 9:30 in the spring to make room for late pick-up Superior Donuts, but their efforts were far from a failure.
3) MacGyver breathes new life into Fridays
Many assumed that MacGyver, an old remake, would be one of the first cancellations of the season. Instead, it's hovering around the same levels as The Amazing Race did, but more importantly, is boosting Hawaii 5-0 so much that it's one of the only shows this season that is up in raw numbers. While it's not certain whether or not MacGyver will break the revival curse and get picked up for a second season, it has definitely helped improve the night enough to make Friday nights an unsung hero for CBS.
4) CBS All-Access makes some changes
CBS is the first network to get into the subscription business, as they recognize that it will probably be the future of broadcast TV. Combining old programs with current programs, CBS All-Access could be purchased via a monthly subscription...but still ran commercials. After backlash for that, they've started a new tier that gets rid of commercials, and are also adding original programming, both with built-in audiences waiting to watch. One is a new Star Trek series, and the other is a spin-off of The Good Wife, which left the schedule this way after years of marginal ratings. One thing to note is that The Good Wife was known for pulling in high-income audiences, and a spin-off of the show is recognized to be a great way to lure some of these high-income individuals to the service.
5) The announcement that scripted is coming back to Saturday
A little while ago, CBS picked up co-production Ransom, alongside Canada and France. It's assumed that the network is producing this for next to nothing, at least relative to their other shows. While many thought it may have been an addition to their summer schedule, it instead is set to air on Saturdays through the winter, a night that is usually reserved for reruns, burnoffs, and 48 Hours. They most likely have low standards for this, and are simply using it to test the waters and see if indeed there is an audience for original scripted programming on Saturdays.
What do you think was most notable about CBS in 2016? Let us know in the comments below!